If asked on the fly, I would say Finding My Moo is big on the cute factor. That is largely due to the illustrations by Rio Haretian. The book is also a quick read, therefore a great choice to entertain and send small children into slumber. As I researched, imagine the relief to find out that Amazon agrees.
Finding My Moo is the Number One release in its Baby & Toddler Sense & Sensation Books. That puts the author’s rhymed discovery tale into a distinguished array of titles across the United States and Europe. Others include, Number Three, Joshua McManus’ I’m Trying to Think of Your Name, also written in cadence, and a more minimal discovery narrative, Just to See, by Morgane de Cadier from Lyon, France.
Zhang, who lives in Taiwan, tells of a calf curious about its place in the world. The animal visits a lion, pig, horse, goat, sheep, and then moves beyond the barnyard to even query an elephant, with the question, “What can you do?” Finally the baby asks the mother cow and is told he is unique. There is far more to the text, and that is what elevates the work beyond cute. Zhang’s narrative finds ways to do so much more than look pretty and fun.
The story celebrates difference, and answers a question little ones often ask as they view the ever growing variety of people throughout the globe – what am I. Advertised as ideal for infants and 5-year-olds, the book is likely to enchant kids age 3 and younger. Babies and pre-readers will thrill at the pictures of so many animals and their sounds. They are also invited to make the sounds. That is why this or one of Zhang’s previous works, Leon’s Lesson, Gwen’s Gratitude or Cheeky Chameleon, could become the first book they read to themselves.
The publisher states, Finding My Moo ’s simple English language and repetitive style makes the text suitable for young readers and ESL (English as a Second Language) and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students. Those factors also make comprehension a breeze.
The author says she aims to make a difference in the world, and inspire the same spirit in children. That alone makes this delightful tale of discovery worth the exploration.
veereads 